Zimbabwe's series against India was, I'm afraid, a cry for help. Zimbabwe have been feisty in the past but now you pity them. Their cricketers have been, figuratively, beaten and bruised; they have been denied amenities, and now self-respect. Much like the land, its cricket has been abused, and even though many fine players and proud cricketers have emerged from there, they no longer will because a fight without resources can only accomplish so much. Sadly, by the time they take the field, they no longer possess the weapons to compete. It needn't have been like this and Zimbabwe cricket is an illustration of worries deeper than the DRS in our game.

And so as a cricketing contest, Zimbabwe v India was forgettable. At times like these you look beyond the scorecard, and I found myself following Virat Kohli - not so much his batting as his audition for captaincy. Having said that, a word on his batting.

When players drop a level below the one they should really be playing at, they must look invincible, they must look they belong elsewhere. Kohli did, and until he recused himself from the batting order, it had seemed an unequal contest, and in a peculiar way therefore, his reputation actually grew.

I liked the fact that he opted not to bat in the last two games. There was talk about a few records down the road, about becoming the fastest to get to a landmark, and while those are good and praiseworthy, India were in Zimbabwe for another reason. I liked, too, that batsmen who were picked were given a number that did them some justice.

Far too often players are picked, get an appearance against their name but not the opportunity they seek. Here, Ambati Rayudu, so long in the wilderness and a talent in danger of being enveloped by rust, was sent in at No. 4. It could easily have been Dinesh Karthik or Suresh Raina, but Kohli, or maybe Duncan Fletcher, realised they needed to do justice to the man picked. It was a generous move.

In the course of time Raina got to bat at No. 3, Cheteshwar Pujara opened the batting, Ajinkya Rahane got his preferred position, and I particularly liked the fact that Ravindra Jadeja batted at No. 4 in the last game.

These have been a wonderful few months for the young spinner, even if they were preceded by much armchair ridicule. Jadeja is now No. 1 on the ODI rankings for bowlers, and his challenge will lie in staying among the top three, but his future is not as a bowling allrounder, not as someone coming in and slogging at the end. Jadeja made it to the Indian team on the strength of the runs he made, and he is far too exciting a batting talent to be lost in the batting order, living somewhere in the suburbs. Sending him at No. 4 was an acknowledgement that he is a batsman too, and he justified it by finishing the game. It might seem like a small event but it tells a story.

In fact, India's future - more in Test cricket, really - will be best served by Jadeja, the batting allrounder, and R Ashwin, the bowling allrounder, batting either side of MS Dhoni (in fact, I really do hope Ashwin seeks to bat at No. 6 or 7 himself). It will allow India to play five bowlers consistently, and in an era where pitches are getting slower and drier, having two spinners who can bat will be a luxury that few teams have.

Indeed, while Jadeja already bats at No. 4 for Saurashtra, I have no doubt that Ashwin must be in the top six for Tamil Nadu. There is an old theory proved right ever so often. Players tend to bat in a manner that the batting number dictates. If you push a batsman to No. 8 or 9, he will start batting like a No. 8 or 9. Conversely, move a player up the order and he starts building an innings and leaving balls that he might have fancied a swish at.

So Jadeja at four was another tick for Kohli the captain. As indeed was his explanation for not playing Parvez Rasool. There were many of us who thought it might be a good idea to give the young man a chance, but Kohli's suggestion that those on the bench for a long time must play longer has merit. Amit Mishra had to play all five, and if Jadeja had to bat too, there wasn't room for Rasool. Now he must use the opportunity in South Africa and that is what good players do: not sulk about missing out but get excited by what lies ahead.

Over the next month, while the top stars get the break they so need (and one they must enjoy because there isn't another in sight till June 2015!), the best young talent is playing for India A, both in South Africa and in India. That is how it must be. On the field, Indian cricket is looking okay for now. Off the field, well, not quite.

Harsha Bhogle is a television presenter, writer, and a commentator on IPL and other cricket. His Twitter feed is here

Harsha, your suggestion of promoting Ashwin & jadeja in the batting is excellent. However these 2 are the only successful bowlers in an otherwise bleak Indian bowling. Indian pace bowlers Yadev & Ishant have consistently leaked runs @ about 6 /over. The Zimbabwe tour has revealed Mohit Sharma as a promising seamer & a good foil for B.Kumar. If India can find a good third seamer (e.g. Sandeep Sharma), then only the batting order of Jadeja & Ashwin can be reviewed. Otherwise it takes away the emphasis from their bowling skills & India's needs. It was a stroke of luck that Zimbabwe revealed Mishra's capabilities. Moreover, India has several "specialist batsmen" not getting a chance in ODI XI. Karthik & Rayudu had great difficulty in breaking thru' the glass barrier. Pujara, Tiwary & Rahane have cooled their heels by bench warming. A big line-up of younger talent like Chand, Zol & Samson may go grey waiting for their turn in the XI. Hence, Jadeja & Ashwin @ #'s 7 & 8 appears justifiable.

POSTED BY
cricketfanindia
on | August 14, 2013, 2:30 GMT

Harsha, For tests, the need is to mix experience with balance and variety. India will want Jadeja to serve 3 purposes - score runs and have an average of 40 + and be able to play the second new ball along with contain the batsmen and take wickets in the 3 or 4 innings. in many places, an extra bat might be better.
indias test - gambhir,dhawan,pujara,sachin, kohli, sehwag/jadeja/rohit, dhoni ashwin, bhuvi, zaheer/ishant, yadav. after sachin retires - gambhir, dhawan, pujara, sehwag, kohli, dhoni, jadeja, ashwin,bhuvi, zaheer/ishant, yadav. India's long quest for a bowling allrounder or a batsman who can bowl some good seamers will lead to jaddu making way. india wants a No.6 like Matthews or Watson. Jaddu will have to prove his batting in tests if he is to be taken seriously outside India. In Indian conditions, his utility is particularly valuable.

POSTED BY
jay57870
on | August 13, 2013, 0:38 GMT

Harsha - Bowling is India's Achilles' Heel in Tests. Talk to "Send Jadeja in higher" to bat is premature. He's played just 5 Tests so far, all at home, in which he's done better as a bowler (27 wkts @ 19.85) than as batsman (97 runs @ 19.40). Comparatively he's made a significant mark in 80 ODIs over 4 years - reaching the No 1 rank in ODI bowling. For sure he's turned out to be, with his superb fielding, an excellent all-rounder - notably a bowling all-rounder! Tests are so much different from ODIs. Team India's undergone a tough transformation: It is settling down, with a bonafide Test batting order for the top 6 spots - with the likes of Dhawan, Pujara, Vijay, Rahane, along with Kohli, Dhoni & Tendulkar, & possibly Rohit Sharma & Gambhir in the mix. So why tamper with it? India's top priority: build a solid 5-bowler squad capable of taking 20 wickets in a match. As a relative Test newcomer at age 24, Jadeja's first got to prove himself overseas - in SA. So why push him, Harsha?

POSTED BY
on | August 11, 2013, 12:22 GMT

india not have 2 all-rounders at test level. in fact 3- with b kumar. he made few hundereds at FC cricket. time to have an extra bowler in the side.

POSTED BY
mahi678
on | August 11, 2013, 7:45 GMT

its time to rely more on bowlers. playing with 7-4 batting-bowling combination is not good. especially in tests. 6-5 is better. specialist batsman at 7 is almost useless. 7th batsman rarely gets a chance and becomes less in confident. playing 4 bowlers would cause unnecessary leak of runs. say for example mohammd kaif made only one or two significant performances with bat and played quite a few matches. 7-4 works only if u have hitters in line up and four front line bowlers who could finish the innings very early against all teams-- like old windies did.

give more stength to bowling and fielding; which make the team balanced in all fronts. dont want india to be more batting dominant team- where bowlers leak away runs to the opposition.

POSTED BY
SamRoy
on | August 11, 2013, 5:38 GMT

Oh and Yuvraj and Sehwag must never come back to the test team. Yuvraj has been a failure because of his technique and Sehwag, the great batsman is finished and so is Tendulkar. Time to look ahead. Gambhir in the middle order. Ideally the best batting line up for SA is Dhawan, Karthik, Pujara, Kohli, Rayudu / Rohit, Gambhir, Dhoni and the bowlers (preferably Umesh, Bhuvi, Ashwin and Shami/Mohit). But in Durban and Cape Town we can play Jadeja in place of Rayudu/Rohit as the ball will spin from third day.

POSTED BY
SamRoy
on | August 11, 2013, 4:16 GMT

Jadeja's biggest weakness is that his game is not good enough against quality pace. Anderson proved it time and again in India and so did Siddle and company. When will people like Harsha (who have been commentating for 20+ years) realize that? Another weakness is that on pitches which doesn't assist spin bowling he will not turn a single delivery. Pitches like Wanderers, Brisbane's Gabba and WACA, Perth. He will be a liability if he is picked in those places. And Gambhir must play in the middle order in test matches for India at least away from home. He has experience, skill and is somewhat compact as a batsman.

POSTED BY
pull_shot
on | August 10, 2013, 17:57 GMT

I think let him play 2 or 3 good knocks then think about changing order that would do

POSTED BY
on | August 10, 2013, 10:56 GMT

great guys great to see u the love and passion about cricket so i also join your discussion my view is this very simple any how play in IPL and if you can PLAY for Chennai Superkings soonly after some performence u will be selected for indian team this is true so for playingi indian team criteria is to play for CSK when IPL was started BCCI was saying IPL performence will not be counted for Indian team but what is happening rohit sharma there is quote "The first one is that he is one of the most talented young batsmen that India has produced. The second is that so far in his international career, he has been one of the most spectacular under-achievers that India has ever produced. " and lucky man dhoni never happned in indian cricket after loosing 8 back to back test matches and home lost captain is there and about jadeja against whom he has taken wicket every one knows so give chances to every one equaly and don't play politics against gambhir and yuvi man of the tournament the best

POSTED BY
MaruthuDelft
on | August 10, 2013, 8:52 GMT

Ashwin plays as a spinner but doesn't really spin the ball hard; he is not a good spinner; so his batting should not be considered. Jadeja should be given some chances in SA; if he fails he, Raina, Yuvraj, Sehwag, Ghambir and Dhoni and players like them (mighty in India but Mice elsewhere) should never be selected for India again.

POSTED BY
Nampally
on | August 11, 2013, 0:01 GMT

Harsha, your suggestion of promoting Ashwin & jadeja in the batting is excellent. However these 2 are the only successful bowlers in an otherwise bleak Indian bowling. Indian pace bowlers Yadev & Ishant have consistently leaked runs @ about 6 /over. The Zimbabwe tour has revealed Mohit Sharma as a promising seamer & a good foil for B.Kumar. If India can find a good third seamer (e.g. Sandeep Sharma), then only the batting order of Jadeja & Ashwin can be reviewed. Otherwise it takes away the emphasis from their bowling skills & India's needs. It was a stroke of luck that Zimbabwe revealed Mishra's capabilities. Moreover, India has several "specialist batsmen" not getting a chance in ODI XI. Karthik & Rayudu had great difficulty in breaking thru' the glass barrier. Pujara, Tiwary & Rahane have cooled their heels by bench warming. A big line-up of younger talent like Chand, Zol & Samson may go grey waiting for their turn in the XI. Hence, Jadeja & Ashwin @ #'s 7 & 8 appears justifiable.

POSTED BY
cricketfanindia
on | August 14, 2013, 2:30 GMT

Harsha, For tests, the need is to mix experience with balance and variety. India will want Jadeja to serve 3 purposes - score runs and have an average of 40 + and be able to play the second new ball along with contain the batsmen and take wickets in the 3 or 4 innings. in many places, an extra bat might be better.
indias test - gambhir,dhawan,pujara,sachin, kohli, sehwag/jadeja/rohit, dhoni ashwin, bhuvi, zaheer/ishant, yadav. after sachin retires - gambhir, dhawan, pujara, sehwag, kohli, dhoni, jadeja, ashwin,bhuvi, zaheer/ishant, yadav. India's long quest for a bowling allrounder or a batsman who can bowl some good seamers will lead to jaddu making way. india wants a No.6 like Matthews or Watson. Jaddu will have to prove his batting in tests if he is to be taken seriously outside India. In Indian conditions, his utility is particularly valuable.

POSTED BY
jay57870
on | August 13, 2013, 0:38 GMT

Harsha - Bowling is India's Achilles' Heel in Tests. Talk to "Send Jadeja in higher" to bat is premature. He's played just 5 Tests so far, all at home, in which he's done better as a bowler (27 wkts @ 19.85) than as batsman (97 runs @ 19.40). Comparatively he's made a significant mark in 80 ODIs over 4 years - reaching the No 1 rank in ODI bowling. For sure he's turned out to be, with his superb fielding, an excellent all-rounder - notably a bowling all-rounder! Tests are so much different from ODIs. Team India's undergone a tough transformation: It is settling down, with a bonafide Test batting order for the top 6 spots - with the likes of Dhawan, Pujara, Vijay, Rahane, along with Kohli, Dhoni & Tendulkar, & possibly Rohit Sharma & Gambhir in the mix. So why tamper with it? India's top priority: build a solid 5-bowler squad capable of taking 20 wickets in a match. As a relative Test newcomer at age 24, Jadeja's first got to prove himself overseas - in SA. So why push him, Harsha?

POSTED BY
on | August 11, 2013, 12:22 GMT

india not have 2 all-rounders at test level. in fact 3- with b kumar. he made few hundereds at FC cricket. time to have an extra bowler in the side.

POSTED BY
mahi678
on | August 11, 2013, 7:45 GMT

its time to rely more on bowlers. playing with 7-4 batting-bowling combination is not good. especially in tests. 6-5 is better. specialist batsman at 7 is almost useless. 7th batsman rarely gets a chance and becomes less in confident. playing 4 bowlers would cause unnecessary leak of runs. say for example mohammd kaif made only one or two significant performances with bat and played quite a few matches. 7-4 works only if u have hitters in line up and four front line bowlers who could finish the innings very early against all teams-- like old windies did.

give more stength to bowling and fielding; which make the team balanced in all fronts. dont want india to be more batting dominant team- where bowlers leak away runs to the opposition.

POSTED BY
SamRoy
on | August 11, 2013, 5:38 GMT

Oh and Yuvraj and Sehwag must never come back to the test team. Yuvraj has been a failure because of his technique and Sehwag, the great batsman is finished and so is Tendulkar. Time to look ahead. Gambhir in the middle order. Ideally the best batting line up for SA is Dhawan, Karthik, Pujara, Kohli, Rayudu / Rohit, Gambhir, Dhoni and the bowlers (preferably Umesh, Bhuvi, Ashwin and Shami/Mohit). But in Durban and Cape Town we can play Jadeja in place of Rayudu/Rohit as the ball will spin from third day.

POSTED BY
SamRoy
on | August 11, 2013, 4:16 GMT

Jadeja's biggest weakness is that his game is not good enough against quality pace. Anderson proved it time and again in India and so did Siddle and company. When will people like Harsha (who have been commentating for 20+ years) realize that? Another weakness is that on pitches which doesn't assist spin bowling he will not turn a single delivery. Pitches like Wanderers, Brisbane's Gabba and WACA, Perth. He will be a liability if he is picked in those places. And Gambhir must play in the middle order in test matches for India at least away from home. He has experience, skill and is somewhat compact as a batsman.

POSTED BY
pull_shot
on | August 10, 2013, 17:57 GMT

I think let him play 2 or 3 good knocks then think about changing order that would do

POSTED BY
on | August 10, 2013, 10:56 GMT

great guys great to see u the love and passion about cricket so i also join your discussion my view is this very simple any how play in IPL and if you can PLAY for Chennai Superkings soonly after some performence u will be selected for indian team this is true so for playingi indian team criteria is to play for CSK when IPL was started BCCI was saying IPL performence will not be counted for Indian team but what is happening rohit sharma there is quote "The first one is that he is one of the most talented young batsmen that India has produced. The second is that so far in his international career, he has been one of the most spectacular under-achievers that India has ever produced. " and lucky man dhoni never happned in indian cricket after loosing 8 back to back test matches and home lost captain is there and about jadeja against whom he has taken wicket every one knows so give chances to every one equaly and don't play politics against gambhir and yuvi man of the tournament the best

POSTED BY
MaruthuDelft
on | August 10, 2013, 8:52 GMT

Ashwin plays as a spinner but doesn't really spin the ball hard; he is not a good spinner; so his batting should not be considered. Jadeja should be given some chances in SA; if he fails he, Raina, Yuvraj, Sehwag, Ghambir and Dhoni and players like them (mighty in India but Mice elsewhere) should never be selected for India again.

POSTED BY
Sportius
on | August 10, 2013, 4:50 GMT

There is always a lot of skepticism when it comes to Ravi Jadeja and his abilities. Based on his performance in the past year i don't see any reason not to send him at that batting position. He has earned his recommendation through his performances. People who say he cant take wickets without conditions not favouring him should wait untill he gets a fair chance to prove himself and then judge rather than crying foul now itself

POSTED BY
john53
on | August 10, 2013, 4:47 GMT

To success in test level jadeja will have to improve his technique.and to the peole who still want yuvi,gauti and sehwag back they are dropped because of poor performance not only with the bat but also in the field.they had their moments ,they served to their best now they should announce retirement respectfully.no point keep waiting for call up again , which is very unlikely. Yuvi was never a good test player specially outside subcontinent. Gambhir had two very good years surrounded by average years,so if we see his career i would say he is an ordinary test player who had two good years in test arena.and with age he is loosing his swiftness in field which led to his sacking from the side. And about sehwag ,with age he lost his touch as it was evident from the last test matches ,whatever little foot moment he used, to adjust in swinging conditions before ,he lost that. may be because of gaining weight .Also it'll be harder for him now as his vision is not getting any better .

POSTED BY
latecut_04
on | August 10, 2013, 4:43 GMT

This article is wrong on many counts.Firstly Harsha seems to think India have 2 all rounders at test level.Aswin is a bowler who couldnt do do justice to his primary role in the last overseas tour(Aus)and jury is still out regarding whether he can be first choice spinner for India at test level.Sure he batted better than many Indian frontline batsmen(just like current Aus tail)but that amounts to nothing if he is not capable of taking wickets.Second Harsha thinks Jadeja is a batting allrounder.Again he hasnt played even a test match outside India and all his all round successes have come against a poor Aus line up on Indian soil.When is our next home series so that his all round performance can be expected to win matches???He has to prove he is good enough to replace Laxman(!!?)and that in itself is a tall order.BUT in this duo India have got all rounders at ODI level and they can be expected to serve Indian cricket for many years in this format.

POSTED BY
on | August 10, 2013, 1:27 GMT

Dhoni is useless outside subcontinent as a batsman and Jadeja may be a great ODI player but has no skills that can help him counter Steyn against second new ball. Dhoni failed in most matches in England & Australia in 2011-12, especially against second new ball and exposed the tail to the new ball.

We need genuine batsmen from 1 to 7, and that basically means that Dhoni needs to be removed from Test team and be replaced with Dinesh Kartik. Similarly, Jadeja or Rahane needs to play instead of Jadeja.

Harsha Bhogle is one of the better commentators, but, does not have the capability to differentiate between Test players and ODI players.

POSTED BY
on | August 10, 2013, 1:19 GMT

You people know Dhoni,so he should play in every format.
If or tendency will not change,then some day nobody will want to be a wicketkeeper if Dhoni will play in every format.
You people think that jadeja can't bat well against SA.I know that he will struggle there but shall we declare him a usless batsman and bowler?He made 2 triple hundreds in Ranjis and took many wickets.Conditions will be pretty differnet there but this does not mean he can't bat.If asad shafiq and younus khan can make hundred against SA in SA and ajmal can take wickets in SA,then why can't ashwin or jadeja?Because they do not have doosra?

Rahane is better than Kohli,Dhawan,Rohit.Just check his first-class average much more than VK and Dhawan.Yet you will support kohli and rohit in tests because they have won india some matches in ODIs.I'm a die hard fan of VK.But I don't want him to be used too much .Kohli will be the key in SA.

I have only one policy,given chance to as many as you can n especially to youngsters

POSTED BY
on | August 10, 2013, 1:08 GMT

and you are telling that yuvraj cannot be a long term prospect.He can bowl more than a bit,has no prospect for 6 or 7 years?Last year when he made 72 against pak in t20,then the same espncricinfo was filled with yuvraj comments.Now,he has failed in 2 series,he is dropped from the squad.Some people would say that he did not performed well in IPL.So first of all tell me a season in which he made 500 runs in IPL?He has never performed well in IPL,but he does it well in ODIs and T20s and you dropping gambhir in tests in favour of dhawan who played only 1 test in his carrer and played few matches in not-so-swinging conditions in Eng?Hhe used to be our saviour even before dhoni.His scores in SA tests were 5,80,93 and 64 against like of steyn,morkel,tsotsobe and u tell he can't play moving ball.Now he has been given a break,give him another go.
Where there is lack of fast bowlers,there you are telling to play yadav in all 3 formats?Didn't Imtiaz,Mohit,Rasool performed well in ranji's.

POSTED BY
espncricinfomobile
on | August 10, 2013, 0:26 GMT

Let us wait for India tour of Australia, shall we?

POSTED BY
McGorium
on | August 9, 2013, 23:34 GMT

@ m_ilind: You could make the same argument about batsmen too: Play 5 of them, and if 5 can't do the job, the 6th won't help either. On flat tracks and long days in the field (given India's bowling, they're bound to run into teams that keep them in the field for a couple of days at a stretch), the odds of a bowler breaking down (esp the quicks) goes up considerably. Re. Jadeja, he isn't a test class bowler (as yet). He got a bit lucky with the Aussies in the test series in that the current crop aren't the greatest players of spin, but I'm unconvinced of his ability to get good players out without them throwing their wickets away by unnecessarily attacking him. I suspect, thus far, they see him and go "pie-chucker", and over-attack. Over time, he'll earn enough respect from them, and I suspect wickets (esp in tests) will be hard to come by. I'd be happy to be proven wrong though :)

POSTED BY
on | August 9, 2013, 22:44 GMT

@atul - and if u are talking about early days - well guys like rohit and rahanee have done very well in first class and have only one test match between them and domestically have better records than jadeja. So by your logic isn't it better to try them instead.

POSTED BY
on | August 9, 2013, 22:39 GMT

@atulraju - mate maxwell did play in India on those turners. But how many overs did he actually bowl. On the rank turners he barely bowled 13 overs/innings and that is despite India crossing 500+ in one of those tests. If maxwell wasn't of any use as a bowler in India, then what role do u expect Jadeja as a bowler to play when India goes to South Africa for tests in those greentops. Yes Jadeja is a very accurate bowler but so is Hafeez, and how much role did hafeez play as a bowler in South Africa. Yes Jadeja's spin can be handy in Port Elizabeth (which is very subcontinent like) for day 3-4 as u said, but Durban and Johannesburg - no way. And this is why I prefer to have a specialist batsman instead of a batting allrounder.

POSTED BY
on | August 9, 2013, 22:38 GMT

what is really sad to see in many of these comments is that Ishant Sharma and Umesh Yadav are somehow great bowlers. Ishant after all these years cannot bowl a decent line and length, forget about seam swing slow bowling yorkers and all that. Umesh thinks his 141K deliveries are going to get him wickets even if they land on the 6th stump. India has a talented bowling group in Praveen, Bhuvanesh, Shami, Mohit Sharma, Unadkat, Varun aaron and i am sure there are a couple others. Give them a chance and some confidence and move beyond the useless Ishant/Umesh pair.

POSTED BY
on | August 9, 2013, 20:58 GMT

After reading all the comments I see every one is under the idea that Jadeja is a bowler or bowling all-rounder and so everyone saying Harsha is wrong. Please, Jadeja is taken back in to the team on the back of two triple hundreds he made last year in first class. Sending Jadeja higher in ODIs so that he can be a good all-rounder isn't gonna hurt much after all he is having a golden period and have proven us wrong for too many times. Fact is we people stuck in our mind so much that when we see Jadeja we remember him from 2009 and 2010 and think that he wont perform, guy got selected for some reason and he is performing so well that he won a trophy for India at world level, whats wrong in giving a opportunity to better himself by sending up the order I support Harsha's Idea

POSTED BY
Sam23
on | August 9, 2013, 20:09 GMT

I think this article was in a lighter vein as I misread it to be ODIs, but the suggestion is in for Tests. And I thought this idea is not good. Tests are altogether a different proposition from ODIs and T20Is. So if Jadeja might now be a worthy player in ODIs, he has to prove his worth in Tests.

He's got 24 Aussie wickets in most recent Tests he played but his batting has been not upto the mark. And playing a bowling allrounder at 5 is too high a position for him.

Harsha's suggestions at 5, 6, 7 read : Jadeja, Dhoni and Ashvin. That means the top and middle order batting is very brittle.

Dhawan, Vijay, Pujara, Tendulkar, Jadeja, Dhoni and Ashvin. Now where does that leave Kohli ? Jadeja at the expense of Kohli ? This scenario is altogether weak post Tendulkar. We still need 6 good Test batsmen and as of now Jadeja has long way to go in Tests.

I doubt if he will have any role to play in next few series India plays unless he drastically changes batting!!

POSTED BY
TM
on | August 9, 2013, 18:10 GMT

The only way i can see this working is on Drier foreign wickets eg some like the ashes pitches and if jadeja can manage to get a test average of around 40 odd which i dont think he can do but i hope to be proved wrong. If he can the test team looks good youve got youngsters like jiwanjot singh and chand coming though good players of pace and seam waiting (Rohit and Rahane) and our tail looks good batting wise with jadeja ashwin bhuvunesh

POSTED BY
m_ilind
on | August 9, 2013, 18:02 GMT

I tend to follow the Aus dictum: play 4 bowlers, if they can't get your job done, then a fifth or sixth bowler won't either. India's strength has always been spin, so playing two spinners is a must, that's where Jadeja & Ashwing come in. It's a bonus that both are decent batsmen also, apart from Ashwin being a world class spinner. Having an extra spinner or a medium pacer is a choice based on the pitch & weather, but making a permanent slot for both these players would be a mistake.

POSTED BY
on | August 9, 2013, 17:15 GMT

We don't need all rounders in test matches, unless they are match winners in both departments. We need bowlers who could take 5 wickets and batsmen who could score hunderds. A leggie would be a better bet for sure then a mediocre jadeja at test level.

POSTED BY
aarpee2
on | August 9, 2013, 16:07 GMT

I understand that Jadeja is the flavor of the moment but he is yet to prove he is a man for all seasons.It is only due to lack of fitness and form of Yuvi he could consolidate his place in the ODI's though the jury is still out on his batting in tests.The SA series will be a game changer for Jadu depending on which way it goes.If we have to win abroad we need to have 5 specialist batsman and 5 specialist bowlers with MSD as the all-rounder.How often in the past have we allowed tai lenders to take the game away from us with 7 batsma,4 bowler formula..This in spite of a world class top order 1to6.Time we learnt from our past

POSTED BY
on | August 9, 2013, 14:38 GMT

Great frnds...so you mean to say that kohli,yadav and dhawan will play in all three formats a country where cricket is being played by millions of people,will play on 15 to 16 players in 3 formats and Dhoni will play for the sole reason that he made double hundred against australia,otherwise I same several people ,not anywhere else,on cricinfo saying to remove dhoni from the test team.We have bhuavaneshwar,this does not mean that he need to be played in every format.
I am seeing rohit from his debut match and except handful of matches,he failed and everyone saying saying that jadeja cannot handle condtions in SA,if he can't bat at no. 4 or 6,then where can he bat in test cricket?All of you joke that gambhir doesn't play well in Tests?seriously?He was no. 1 player in tests and you support dhawan who played only 1 test match and handled swinging conitions in ODIs.Karthik,techincally weaker made 91 6 years ago against england.He played well in CT warm-up games,made 97 in warm-up in aus.

POSTED BY
on | August 9, 2013, 14:32 GMT

My dear Harsha, I think you are stepping on a BANANA PEEL here - the all rounders battting either side of MSD. This will take out a genuine batter at Number 6 - who could be Rohit, Manoj [i still have hopes for him], Ajinkya, Rayudu et al. I understand Sir Jadeja has some serious numbers but they are in Ranji Trophy in Rajkot for crying out loud. Remember what happened to an "Allrounder" when Greg Chappel sent him up the order?? Ask Irfan. Sir Jadeja may end up as another Yuvi in Test matches. I would like to have a genuine Lggie in the Team. Amit Mishra has been a puzzle. Since we Indian team supporters can only dream [in our wildest dreams] of a genuine fast bowler, why not invest in a genuine leggie?? Karan Sharma, Anustup Majumdar? or someone else. Leg Spinners are as attacking as a genuine fast bolwer and more of a possibility in Indian Cricket.

POSTED BY
on | August 9, 2013, 14:18 GMT

I would stick with the combination of Ashwin and Ojha for Test matches, saving Jadeja for limited overs. I think Irfan Pathan should be tried out as an all-rounder for Tests.

POSTED BY
itsthewayuplay
on | August 9, 2013, 14:12 GMT

I'm afraid Harshe you are being premature in describing Jadeja s all-rounder ad you are simply wrong to suggest that he is in the side on the strength of his batting. There's no doubt that Jadeja had been prolific domestically prior to his selection. Jadeja's value to the team has been as a spinner and fielder and has scored some important runs in ODIs but at test level? He would get currently into the team as a bowler alone but not necessarily as a batter so therefore he is not an all-rounder. It seems to me that many Indian supporters are obsessed with turning every bowler into an all-rounder. Why? If the bowlers are taking wickets and the top 5 are are scoring runs, an all-rounder is not necessary. Anderson McGrath Warne Akram Younis Donald Zaheer Kumble Ambrose Walsh etc etc were all chosen on their basis of their bowling, so why shouldn't the current crop of Indian bowlers? Are we really going to sacrifice Bhuvneshwar Kumar's wickets for more runs with the bat? Not me.

POSTED BY
on | August 9, 2013, 14:03 GMT

@naman gupta..u only said ashwin avg more than jadeja ryt???so i jz clarifyd it by sayng one cannt be judged based on avgs....n some1 like jadeja who hd plays jz 5 test can never be judged on it...ryt???again mate u brgng the WRONG xample..kallis is a battng allround like watson who can bowl seam ups....SA generally plays wth 3 or 4 front line seamers man...so dey dnt want kallis to bowl more dan 15....dats nt the our case..day 3 or 4 in a test an accurate bolwer like jadeja bolwng on the footmarks of seamers is more than handy mate.....if aus had glen maxwel in der side instead of watson...do u thnk maxwel wnt bowl as many over as lyon??he wil ma dear..

POSTED BY
on | August 9, 2013, 13:29 GMT

The young Indian squad is trying to upgrade their performance at all phases. We will wait and watch their ability and caliber. This is the right time for seniors players like Shewag, Gambhir, Yuvi, Zaheer and Bhajji to enhance their abilities and they can constration on their skills.

POSTED BY
NCP1
on | August 9, 2013, 13:29 GMT

All these comments clearly suggest India is weaker than other teams at test level. Outside India, historically Indian team has not played well. 50 Overs and 20/20 teams seems well balanced to perform everywhere. India should go with young test class batsman like Pujara and drop these one day type who can't play more than 20 overs and can't bowl 8 overs at a time.

POSTED BY
hhillbumper
on | August 9, 2013, 13:19 GMT

Both Ashwin and Jadeja will be found out in test cricket away from home. Both have been flattered by playing Aus and weak teams at home.Ashwin got handled by England and has played most of his tests at home.We saw how spin friendly they were cause even Monty did well.

POSTED BY
Al_Bundy1
on | August 9, 2013, 13:02 GMT

Harsha is wrong, as usual. Jadeja won't amount to anything in tests against the likes of South Africa and England. Kohli showed his lack of maturity by preferring Jadeja over Rasool in a dead rubber. Rasool also bats at no. 4 for his state Ranji team. Why was Kohli so scared of playing Rasool ?? While Harsha is at it, can he explain why Tendulkar is still part of Indian test team ?? Do you think a front line batsman who has been averaging under 25 for last 2 years should be allowed to play for India ??

POSTED BY
on | August 9, 2013, 12:49 GMT

to all those who still feel sehwag n gambhir are required, to them rohit is one of the very few players in India whom we have seen talent, now as a opener he is showing intent to not lose his wicket. Dhawan is doing the bulk of scoring fast. I guess winning is more important than favoring your favorite players. Though a fit Zak would be welcome but no UV, Sehwag, Gambhir please. UV could be in limited formats. Its good the team management is looking for performance and will to perform rather than flair and past performances.

POSTED BY
on | August 9, 2013, 12:42 GMT

All this clamour abt india's batting- might will come to naught if they cant pick 20 wickets. so the locus point of discussion should be good bowling options rather worrying abt sehwag, gambhir, yuvi bcos the current young batsmen r capable of upstaging them if persisted. bowling is india's achilled heel as i reiterated umpteen times. unless they dont address this, they will find it hard in test cricket outside sub-continent.

POSTED BY
on | August 9, 2013, 12:35 GMT

Jadeja batting up the order in zimbabwe was meant only 2 let him have a decent hit with the willow. Nothing more should be read into it. Yes he made 2 back 2 back triple centuries[though on flat roads of saurashtra], but he holds his place primarily as a bowler. his batting credentials r still untested against quality attack. I think like all left arm spinners he too will b soon found out[though the aussies made a mountain out of mole facing him]by opposition teams until he adds few variations. just varying speed & length is fine in ODI's, but test cricket[out of subcontinent]is different. india still needs a good pace bowling allrounder & nothing seems in sight at the moment.

POSTED BY
ramli
on | August 9, 2013, 12:14 GMT

Sairam Sundarajan ... was CT2013 victory achieved against minnows? Was it in sub-continent tracks? Was victory against Aussies in India a miracle? It was sheer failure on the part of seniors that led to the debacle in Eng and Aus ... that stands corrected now with the performance of youngsters in ODIs ... yes it will take time for them to learn test cricket overseas ... we can wait rather than taking unwanted luggage all the way to SA and outside

POSTED BY
on | August 9, 2013, 11:46 GMT

Few good wins , against not so performing teams, we have forgotten the best players , India have seen, in Schwag, Gambir,Yuvi & Zak. No doubt, some of their form and attitude is questionable but class do stand apart. We have moved on from Sachin Era and talking about youngsters in the team. I want to see how all these youngsters performing in fast and bouncy pitches against high class bowling Unit in SA. Let us not forget how the same "Sir" was trashed all over the park in last year or so. Yes , we should motivate youngsters but we also need experienced players to face the likes of Steyn & Co.

POSTED BY
on | August 9, 2013, 11:40 GMT

@atulraj - my apologies for not clarifying.But I was talking about next test tour to South Africa. There u don't need more than one spinner. and why are u bringing up domestic records. there are so many players who average more - infact by your logic nayar should be in the team instead for an allrounder's (although I still reckon batting allrounders are necessarily) position. So this argument still doesn't justify jadeja's position in test team. And please tell me one batting allrounder that on average bowls 15 or more overs in an innings. No one, not even kallis. So the bowling role is almost useless, and hence no point picking a batting allrounder over a specialist batsman.

POSTED BY
on | August 9, 2013, 11:12 GMT

We will see in South Africa.sehwag stills best. No. Matter what anyone says
Dhavan. Is must and yuvi is also needed with bhajji. Rohit sharma is useless
Dont know why we pick him

POSTED BY
espncricinfomobile
on | August 9, 2013, 11:12 GMT

I like the way you ended the post, but soon what happens outside, we will see a reflection on that inside..we need more players like Rahul Dravid running the administration

POSTED BY
android_user
on | August 9, 2013, 11:10 GMT

Harsha has quietly tried to support Kohli theory of not playing Rasool.No man, Kohli has made a mistake and his rubbishing comments on this is not doing any build up to his Captaincy!

POSTED BY
sansaw80
on | August 9, 2013, 11:02 GMT

Harsha in all these rosy comments you forgot to mentioned that not once when we won the toss decided to BAT FIRST. I thought the whole exercise of taking these young players to ZIM was to expose them to bowler friendly conditions and get them ready for SA series and once when we managed to BAT first (Cause we lost the toss) we did suffer, I think 5-6 wkt down under 60-70s.... these raises questions if we are not willing to take risk against weakest team then how do you expect team to perform against stronger sides.

POSTED BY
on | August 9, 2013, 10:08 GMT

I think we are taking off singing praises of this young Indian outfit too early. I would certainly reserve my praises till at least the end of the Durban test against South Africa. Playing Jarvis and Vitori can serve one no practice when the real test is against the Philanders and the Steyns. But I am optimistic this time that unlike Gambhir and Sehwag and few others, this bunch is willing to put in the hard yards and evolve both a player and a team mate. It also helps the fact that most of them are of the age bracket between 21-27 where u could actually bring in adjustments to the existing techniques if required. Gambhir and Sehwag are well past that, hence to hope they will rectify their problems and make a comeback is to wish for too much. It certainly a big loss but there is no other way if we are really wishing for the bright future of Indian cricket. So i would say there is hope for India, this coming test series and I am optimistic but I would also not jump to praises too early.

POSTED BY
srinideva
on | August 9, 2013, 9:57 GMT

Why everyone take that Zim tour, so seriously, even our state team is better than the Zim intl team..simple as that

POSTED BY
android_user
on | August 9, 2013, 9:55 GMT

Not being biased but being an Indian really happy to see young Indian brigade proliferating at every stages both in and out of subcontinent though test in S Africa still on charts. And no wonder in all these victories Sir Jadeja do play a role of balancing the team by providing a fifth bowler as wellas a batsmen in depth.
Though its young era but stillvwould luv to c Yuvi in middle Zak leading the pace Gautam n Sehwag doing opening n leaving cricket on a higher platform I just wish to c this team once in a while they all deserve a grand on field exit not an exile from team like this .

POSTED BY
on | August 9, 2013, 9:19 GMT

rAvindra jadeja, Rashwin, Amit mishra, bhuwanesh kumar, Ishant and Umesh yadav. If india play all of them as a bowler in the team out of these 4 of them can bat well down the order thats is jadeja, bhuvaneshwer kumar, ashwin and amit mishra. umesh yadav and ishant sharma are great fast bowler. so we are talking about one of the best bowling attack here with four out six can bat well. jadeja can be thought as a proper batsman, other three are batting superbly down the order.
we can try out these combination also. Especially when we are playing with good batting team we should test them with our great bowlers , and lets see who will survive.

POSTED BY
on | August 9, 2013, 9:06 GMT

i think rohit sharma is the best opening batsman along with shekhar dhawan lets not try to alter that position. First down is virat kohli no doubt about that he world best batsman now. In number 4 dhoni might say i will keep my wicket at last and put some young guys at number 4 but I think Dhoni should come number 4 to control the game as a senior pro. Who is after dhoni in number 5? As far as playing many shots round the wicket with good strike rate is concern my man is Suresh Raina. He hits the play all around the wicket with strike rate above hundred. Now at number six after raina, we need a bats man who is very very energetic who can take single at no time. Raina and jadeja in a crease, they will run like crazy. Bhuvaneshwer kumar,R ashwin , Amit mishra, are the best bowler with the ability to bat like an allrounder. Add Umesh yadav Fastest bowler in the team and Ishant sharma. great bowling attack with batting ability down till number 9.

POSTED BY
Dharm_Guru
on | August 9, 2013, 8:58 GMT

Can't agree with Harsha here. Jadeja is proving to be a useful all-rounder down the order in the limited overs format and we should not forget how that has effectively worked out for India. Pujara, Dhawan, Kohli, Karthik and Dhoni are perfectly placed in the batting order and Jadeja coming in after Dhoni is perfect. However, Jadeja is still to be tested at Test Level which is the real temperamental test of a Cricketer. That's why the greatest of cricketers are those who have performed consistently well in all formats for considerable period of time. All the best to Jadeja in Test Cricket!

POSTED BY
espncricinfomobile
on | August 9, 2013, 8:48 GMT

Somebody suggested gambir in the team. Well I reckon South Africans are good at slip catching and they don't need any more practice. Hope this makes sense.

POSTED BY
Neeta
on | August 9, 2013, 8:46 GMT

@CricketMaan: I saw the innings you are talking about and that innings was good I must admit. But the thing is that right now Harsha just can't ask Ashwin to bat higher up in the batting order. He needs to develop his technique a bit more for that and it is wrong to expect those kinds of innings from Ashwin regularly at least for now. As for the middle order, my reason for playing Gambhir at 6 was that if the top order does well then you are generally four down by the time the second new ball comes on, this is where the role of the third opener comes in and Gambhir can handle that role quite well in my opinion. Also if there is loss of early wickets which is quite likely to happen, you need experienced players like SRT, Kohli, Gambhir and Dhoni to build up the innings from scratch. We just cannot throw Rohit Rahane or Rayudu in there. They are all green in test cricket and Rayudu and Rohit will succumb under the pressure of the test match debut while Rahane will also be found out.

POSTED BY
on | August 9, 2013, 8:44 GMT

sending jadeja or ashwin at no. 6 means dhoni at 7 or 8, i dont mind idea of 5 bowlers, but we need to look at conditions where we are going to play. In SA 1 spinner is more than enough. Kohli needs to enhance his role as a medium bowler, one of the reason of Indian demise outside India is unavailability of ganguly/sachin as a 5th bowler. my X1 for first test will be - dhawan, vijay, pujara, sachin, kohli,rahane/rohit, dhoni, jadeja/ashwin, bhubneshwar,ishant & umesh.Besides i want to keep sehwag in reserve along with unadkat & another young seamer

POSTED BY
on | August 9, 2013, 7:49 GMT

@naman gupta..my dear frnd...shane watson is a batting alrounder u r ryt who can ball seam up...bt in his teams..there is 3 front line pacers..so 5 over wil b enough frm him..jadeja on the other hand is spinner n india only hav 1 more spinner...so he wil play a big role wth ball than watson does for his side.....

POSTED BY
CricketMaan
on | August 9, 2013, 7:44 GMT

@Neeta - just some small correction, did you see Ashwins composed innings in sydney when he scored some 70 odd! though it was just one, it shows he isnt mediocore! Agreed he is in the team to bowl and pick wickets, lets not do an irfan pathan of him. Jadeja will play in subcontinent conditions ahead of Ohja, that is the fate, for Jaddu brings more than Ohja, though Ohja should play in asian conditions, but such is Indian cricket. On fast SA type pitches a Rohit or a Rahane or Rayudu needs a go at No.6. But Rohit for Vijay is absurd, while Vijay has problem outside offstump, Rohit has problems playing incoming ball! Dale Steyn bowls a plenty of them and Rohit will be lbw everytime if not bowled!

well well well the biggest problem we as indian have to make a any one instantly zero to hero why few reason here on this discussion which i read sending jadeja here send him there he should bat at 4 or at 7 bla bla..
let me tell all of you one thing he is not best for even a one test match,
all of you say look his last series i thinkk he did specail very specail not in india even in england so what go back some time back we had yuvraj singh we dropped gangualy for him or he took reteriment what ever you can say but still not have a replacement for him till now now come on to jadeja i cannot forget the matches we lost due to him whether its in t20 world cup or agianst australia he scored 3 tripple hundred on people say pata wicket so what is next bradman he comes due to batting performence but he is number one in bowling ok icc cricket rating who is number one to does it matter how many chances he has given i even not remember him and to who you all know again the next sachin rohit s

POSTED BY
rishab.cricfever
on | August 9, 2013, 7:36 GMT

My Indian Team for 1st Test against Proteas : 1)Dhawan 2)Vijay 3)Pujara 4)SRT 5)Kohli 6)Rohit/Jadeja 7)Dhoni 8)Ashwin 9)Bhuvi 10)Zak 11)Umesh
Ishant in Tests has been given more than enough chances for a mediocre return. Zak will be the key in SAF if at full fitness. Go with Rohit on a grassy wicket and Jaddu on a drier one. Gambhir/Rahane/Rayudu can be back-up batsmen. DK can be back-up keeper..ALL THE BEST!!

and lets face it with batting allrounders the bowling is absolutely useless in tests. Especially if the type of bowling doesn't suit the pitch conditions. Shane watson is a batting allrounder but barely bowls 5 overs in entire innings and that too in parts. And there are thousands of better test batsman than jadeja, with one of them being the bowler ashwin.

POSTED BY
on | August 9, 2013, 7:08 GMT

Jadeja the test batting allrounder. He averages less than 20. Ashwin doubles his average and he is a bowling allrounder. Man harsha u really made my day.

POSTED BY
Naresh28
on | August 9, 2013, 6:59 GMT

I would prefer to leave Jadeja where he is - the reason I feel is that he must have
some freshness when he bowls and fields. Let the specialists at the top take the
game and play to their strengths. As some have said you can upset the team
composition/slots by tinkering. Sadly I still feel we need a NEW ZAHEER or the OLD one. The team is incomplete with someone like him.

POSTED BY
Neeta
on | August 9, 2013, 6:52 GMT

I don't agree with the things suggested by Harsha in this article. Jadeja and Ashwin right now are mediocre batsmen at test match level who only performed in Indian conditions. Ashwin might have scored a century but Jadeja the batsman was a flop show in his first full series against the Aussies at home. It might be a good plan in the long term but not right now. We need 6 proper batsmen plus Dhoni in SA. Along with youth, we need experience as well. For SA, my Squad will be: Vijay,Dhawan,Gambhir,Pujara,SRT,Kohli,Dhoni,DK,Rohit,Ashwin,Jadeja,Umesh,BK,Zak,Ishant and one of the young fast guys whoever performs well in the ongoing A tour of the country. I would like to play Gambhir in the vacant middle order slot with Dhawan and Vijay as the two openers as it gives us a chance to handle second new ball well when it comes up. Zak, Umesh and BK along with Aswin will form the bowling attack. Jadeja is the second spinner. Rohit can come for Vijay or GG if they fail to perform.DK is reserve WK.

POSTED BY
on | August 9, 2013, 6:50 GMT

Jaddu should be playing at no 7. Sorry but MSD as had a very good record at no 6. My Best 15 for SA & NZ would be :
1.Dhawan 2.Vijay 3.Pujara 4.Kohli 5.R Sharma 6.Dhoni 7.Jadeja 8.Ashwin 9.B Kumar 10.Yadav 11.Unadkat 12.Shami 13.I Sharma 14.Karthik 15.Mishra

POSTED BY
on | August 9, 2013, 6:46 GMT

I do not think Jadeja is ready yet to go at #6 in tests. i suspect that Dhoni will make this change when he sees that jadeja is ready. he has just played a handful of test matches in India. let him first play outside and we will find out if he is really test match material.

POSTED BY
on | August 9, 2013, 6:44 GMT

Anand Kumar...omg..datz rubbish ma frnd..srry to tell..jadeja is a undoubtly a gr8 asset for team india in any formats...yes many of u r ryt by sayng.hs style of play is more suitd for subcontnt condtn...he was strugglng againt tinto best pace n bounc even in dat dead WI strips...bt datz does mean he mustnt get a chanc to bat higher up the order...he is jz 24..lets giv him chanc to bat up in SA pitchs...ryt nw india test team is under builtng...so LETS TRY FEW THINGS AND PREPARE TO EVEN LOSE..vijay n shikar wil find it difficult to face movng ball in SA thats sure..bt giv them a long run..make then play all matches in SA even if they fails...
MY TEST XI-1)vijay 2)shikar 3)pujara 4)kholi 5)Rohit 6)dhoni 7)jadeja 8)ashwin 9)zaheer 10)bhui 11)yadav
its sure top order wil fail der in SA...so jadeja wil get his chanc to bat longer..let him shw wats he s capable..
ODI team-1)Rohit 2)shikar 3)kholi 4)karthik 5)raina 6)dhoni 7)jaddu 8)ashwin 9)bhuvi 10)shami 11)yadav
pick varun aaron in the 15

POSTED BY
on | August 9, 2013, 6:42 GMT

What was more satisfying about this article was that .. there was not focus on Rohit Sharma.
I think this indicates that he is finally off the analytic eyes of the experts. He seems to have settled in the team and looks like people have accepted him there. Now all he can do is go upwards from here ...

POSTED BY
anurag23bhide
on | August 9, 2013, 6:38 GMT

No matter where Jadeja bats in the top 7, India will end up with 5 bowlers. Whether he bats before or after Dhoni is irrelevant to the number of bowlers India play with. The batting position will be determined only by the role he is expected to play.

POSTED BY
venkatesh018
on | August 9, 2013, 6:37 GMT

As Harsha said India were in Zimbabwe for another reason: becuase an IPL acution is looming. This tour is to distribute national caps to the successful players of this year's IPL so that they can be thrown into the auction pool and this trip will be repeated in 2016 or whenever an auction is about to take place.

POSTED BY
Srini_Indian
on | August 9, 2013, 6:31 GMT

@siddhartha87: Your line up is equally pathetic. Where is Murali Vijay and Ashwin? Top run scorer and highest wicket taker in last series? Mishra as a front line spinner? lol. Ashwin as a finger spinner turns his off-break more than Mishra as a wrist spinner. He might have picked wickets against weak Zimbabwe batting but those are due to variations. How many wickets did he pick with conventional leg spin? In tests, your googly will be effective only if you turn the leg break. Murali Vijay is suspect against shorter deliveries but surely he deserves a couple of more series.

I have to wonder how the comment from Annand could become a featured comment. Most of what he said is absolutely ridiculous. On the point of making Jadeja bat in the top 6, that's simply not going to work in overseas conditions, especially against south africa. With the series against south africa coming up India needs 6 proper batsmen as S.A have the best fast bowling line up in the world and there pithces are very conducive to pace bowling, so u need batsmen with sound techniques who can stand up against them. Just look at how they skittled out Australia and Pakistan for under 50. If India ever dare go in with 5 batsmen and Dohni at 6 the same might happen to them.. My X1 would be 1. Dhawan 2. Vijay 3. Pujara. 4. Kohli. 5. Rohit. 6 Rahane. 7 Dohni 8. Jadeja. 9 Bhuvi 10. Zaheer 11. Yadav..I left out Sachin because i feel that he doesn't have much more to offer to this team as a batsman and if he couldn't score on the flat indian wickets i don't see him fearing to well in S.A.

POSTED BY
on | August 9, 2013, 5:03 GMT

As much as I am happy for Jadeja, it pains me to say that his meteoric rise as a world class bowling allrounder pushes my favourite player int oblivion. Yes, with Jadeja now cementing his place in the ODI and Test side, it means there is no place for the mercurial Yuvraj Singh. And sadly there arent any domestic competitions right now where Yuvi could have showed his batting prowess and clay back into the team. 1 and half year lost to cancer and now over a year will be lost to absence of cricketing competitions in the country. Sadly that makes Yuvi even older and less liable to break into the team. I know this article is about Jadeja, best of luck to him but Yuvi best of luck to you too, the man who won us the world cup!

POSTED BY
SriniSwami
on | August 9, 2013, 5:02 GMT

I think Jadeja ia more suited to the limited overs formats. He might have clicked in the tests in Indian conditions, but in the bigger picture he might not suit Australia/South Africa/England etc. I like more of the traditional batsmen and bowlers playing at the test level - You can check my XI - M Vijay, S Dhawan, C Pujara, SRT, V Kohli, Rohit Sharma (for his technique he is actually more suited to the test format), D Karthik, R Ashwin, B Kumar, Mohit Sharma, P Ojha/U Yadav (based on conditions).

POSTED BY
siddhartha87
on | August 9, 2013, 4:59 GMT

sorry Anand Kumar ,your playing XI are pathetic to say the least.Yuvraj in long terms plan for ODi's and gambhir in tests? are you serious?? Gambhir is okay in ODI's.But in tests against moving ball he is useless.And no Karthik or Saha are not better than Dhoni.Karthik is useless and no one knows what he is dong in the team.Rasool is not good enough to play as specialist spinner.Yes he could be tested in ODIs .My long term XI:

@Anand, That was a ridiculous suggestion to keep the best away from tests (MS, Dhawan, Kohli, Ashwin, Umesh). How will you keep wickets, captain a test side, take wickets. Fanciful though. You pick the best side for test no matter what. And develop players, flex-talent in the other formats.

POSTED BY
sray23
on | August 9, 2013, 4:33 GMT

I think we need to be careful about hyping these guys. As everyone knows, the true test of a team is winning tests and important ODIs overseas. This 'A' tour to SA will give more idea of players' ability than Zimbabwe ever could. Jadeja has done OK so far, but lets face it, he had a good home season on dustbowls and a good CT on wickets in England that were more subcontinental than ever. Ashwin too, great home season but nothing of note done overseas as a bowler, and here Harsha is already talking of him BATTING at No. 6?? One thing at a time people - let him prove himself as a bowler first. This Indian team is nowhere near as good as people think. Batsman are completely untested & raw on overseas tracks and STILL (despite all the wealth, talent, etc etc) no good consistent fast bowlers. Next tours of SA, NZ, Eng and Aus will show how good India actually are.

POSTED BY
Sir_Ivor
on | August 9, 2013, 4:27 GMT

From his U 18 days, I have held that Ravindra Jadeja is the new Vinoo Mankad. It is no co-incidence that he comes from the same part of the country as the likes of Ranji ,Duleep,Hanumant,Mankad and Pujara to name just a few. For them cricket runs deep evidence of which is had in the long innings they play quite often. Vinoo Mankad played in the middle order a lot in his early days and then switched over to opener later. He faced the fury of Trueman and Bedser and the guile of Jim Laker at Lord's in a Test where it was England vs Mankad.His scores of 72 and 184 and 5 wickets. Ironically he was brought in from the Lancashire league to bolster the touring Indian team not having been included in the touring side ! It is the same with Jadeja. His value was never realised initially and he was subjected to ridicule. Which is why I am happy that Harsha has written this piece. He bowls with a bit of round arm like the great Vinoo did.He will continue to evolve as a bowler too wherever he bats.

POSTED BY
on | August 9, 2013, 4:23 GMT

I think before trying Jadeja at 5 in tests India should bat him higher up in the ODI team and see how it works out. He is much better batting at 6 or 7 in tests where its better to have a steady attacking batsma. If there is anyone who should move up in the order it has to be Dhoni.

POSTED BY
on | August 9, 2013, 4:20 GMT

It would be really great to have Jadeja in test team, if he delivers in foreign condition. So that we can have luxury of having two spinner in foreign pitches. We can also have at lest one spinner in places like perth.

POSTED BY
dashe
on | August 9, 2013, 4:20 GMT

Anand Kumar are you serious you have no idea mate.

POSTED BY
on | August 9, 2013, 4:12 GMT

Yes Harsha,I agree with you.But I don't think we should make any change to the batting order for some individual.I'm sure it will disturb the whole composition.

I think this line up can be for long duration:1)Shikhar Dhawan,2)Cheteshwar Pujara(on the basis of his list-A records,I know that he needs few rectificaions,but he can do it.),3)Virat Kohli,4)MS Dhoni,5)Yuvraj Singh,6)Suresh Raina,7)Ravindra Jadeja,8)R.Ashwin,9.)Jaydev Undakat,10.)Bhuvi,11.)Umesh Yadav

I think,Jadeja can be promoted in Tests,my dream line up in tests:Murali Vijay,Gautam Gambhir,C.Pujara,Ravindra Jadeja,Ajinkya Rahane,Mandeep Singh(Indian Joe Root),Saha or Karthik,Rasool(First test him),Mishra or Ojha(Based On performance,Mohit Sharma,Imtiaz Ahmed

I want different teams in every format because everyone gets chance and there is no lack of talent in india.I seriously want to keep Dhawan,KOhli,MS ,Ashwin and umesh out of tests.Gambhir can be indian cook.Rahane ,Imtiaz,Mohit and Mandy performs well in ranjis.

POSTED BY
on | August 9, 2013, 4:08 GMT

Ashwin (the bowler) is more important for India than Aswhin (the batsman). No need to distract him by expecting him to bat well - let him concentrate on his bowling alone!

POSTED BY
on | August 9, 2013, 4:03 GMT

Excellent analysis. But Kohli as a captain must learn to calm his nerves in the pressure cooker situation.

POSTED BY
FNS18
on | August 9, 2013, 3:53 GMT

Nice article. Believe Ajinkya Rahane is more suitable for number 4 - both in Test and ODI than Jadeja. Rahane has a technique & temperament for Test cricket. And again he has demonstrated it over last six years in which he has scored more than 1000 runs every year in a season over those six years.

POSTED BY
on | August 9, 2013, 3:35 GMT

Absolutely agree with Harsha... Jadeja has to get a chance higher in the batting order... Many of us evaluated Jadeja on the basis of his first batting failure against England in 2008 T20 WC...

POSTED BY
spot_on
on | August 9, 2013, 3:33 GMT

Bar Dhoni,Kohli,Jaddu the India A team is as same as the National side in Batting. I thought it was gonna be different :(

POSTED BY
on | August 9, 2013, 3:27 GMT

Ashwin could play that role in india, not as good a batsman as he is made to look in this article, his shuffle and jump technique might not really work and then there is a feeling that india will need someone like rohit instead of jadeja in foreign conditions in tests. Moreover 4 bowlers the way to go atleast outside india where batting has been our main problem.

POSTED BY
Nampally
on | August 11, 2013, 0:01 GMT

Harsha, your suggestion of promoting Ashwin & jadeja in the batting is excellent. However these 2 are the only successful bowlers in an otherwise bleak Indian bowling. Indian pace bowlers Yadev & Ishant have consistently leaked runs @ about 6 /over. The Zimbabwe tour has revealed Mohit Sharma as a promising seamer & a good foil for B.Kumar. If India can find a good third seamer (e.g. Sandeep Sharma), then only the batting order of Jadeja & Ashwin can be reviewed. Otherwise it takes away the emphasis from their bowling skills & India's needs. It was a stroke of luck that Zimbabwe revealed Mishra's capabilities. Moreover, India has several "specialist batsmen" not getting a chance in ODI XI. Karthik & Rayudu had great difficulty in breaking thru' the glass barrier. Pujara, Tiwary & Rahane have cooled their heels by bench warming. A big line-up of younger talent like Chand, Zol & Samson may go grey waiting for their turn in the XI. Hence, Jadeja & Ashwin @ #'s 7 & 8 appears justifiable.

POSTED BY
on | August 9, 2013, 3:27 GMT

Ashwin could play that role in india, not as good a batsman as he is made to look in this article, his shuffle and jump technique might not really work and then there is a feeling that india will need someone like rohit instead of jadeja in foreign conditions in tests. Moreover 4 bowlers the way to go atleast outside india where batting has been our main problem.

POSTED BY
spot_on
on | August 9, 2013, 3:33 GMT

Bar Dhoni,Kohli,Jaddu the India A team is as same as the National side in Batting. I thought it was gonna be different :(

POSTED BY
on | August 9, 2013, 3:35 GMT

Absolutely agree with Harsha... Jadeja has to get a chance higher in the batting order... Many of us evaluated Jadeja on the basis of his first batting failure against England in 2008 T20 WC...

POSTED BY
FNS18
on | August 9, 2013, 3:53 GMT

Nice article. Believe Ajinkya Rahane is more suitable for number 4 - both in Test and ODI than Jadeja. Rahane has a technique & temperament for Test cricket. And again he has demonstrated it over last six years in which he has scored more than 1000 runs every year in a season over those six years.

POSTED BY
on | August 9, 2013, 4:03 GMT

Excellent analysis. But Kohli as a captain must learn to calm his nerves in the pressure cooker situation.

POSTED BY
on | August 9, 2013, 4:08 GMT

Ashwin (the bowler) is more important for India than Aswhin (the batsman). No need to distract him by expecting him to bat well - let him concentrate on his bowling alone!

POSTED BY
on | August 9, 2013, 4:12 GMT

Yes Harsha,I agree with you.But I don't think we should make any change to the batting order for some individual.I'm sure it will disturb the whole composition.

I think this line up can be for long duration:1)Shikhar Dhawan,2)Cheteshwar Pujara(on the basis of his list-A records,I know that he needs few rectificaions,but he can do it.),3)Virat Kohli,4)MS Dhoni,5)Yuvraj Singh,6)Suresh Raina,7)Ravindra Jadeja,8)R.Ashwin,9.)Jaydev Undakat,10.)Bhuvi,11.)Umesh Yadav

I think,Jadeja can be promoted in Tests,my dream line up in tests:Murali Vijay,Gautam Gambhir,C.Pujara,Ravindra Jadeja,Ajinkya Rahane,Mandeep Singh(Indian Joe Root),Saha or Karthik,Rasool(First test him),Mishra or Ojha(Based On performance,Mohit Sharma,Imtiaz Ahmed

I want different teams in every format because everyone gets chance and there is no lack of talent in india.I seriously want to keep Dhawan,KOhli,MS ,Ashwin and umesh out of tests.Gambhir can be indian cook.Rahane ,Imtiaz,Mohit and Mandy performs well in ranjis.

POSTED BY
dashe
on | August 9, 2013, 4:20 GMT

Anand Kumar are you serious you have no idea mate.

POSTED BY
on | August 9, 2013, 4:20 GMT

It would be really great to have Jadeja in test team, if he delivers in foreign condition. So that we can have luxury of having two spinner in foreign pitches. We can also have at lest one spinner in places like perth.

POSTED BY
on | August 9, 2013, 4:23 GMT

I think before trying Jadeja at 5 in tests India should bat him higher up in the ODI team and see how it works out. He is much better batting at 6 or 7 in tests where its better to have a steady attacking batsma. If there is anyone who should move up in the order it has to be Dhoni.